i have 3 fantail goldfish and a algae eater. the goldfish seem to be dieing.?

Question

my algae eater seems to be doin ok. but my fantail goldfish does not. can i get rid of them and get new ones? what do i have to do to the tank to make sure its safe for new ones?

Answer 1

There is not enough info to help you. I will say one thing take the Pleco back, you don't need it in a goldfish tank. And here's why, first a pleco likes to eat the slime coat of other fishes if there is no green stuff to eat. Goldfish's with double tails are slow daytime feeders, and they sleep at night unlike the pleco which is nocturnal. That pleco will catch a sleeping goldfish at night and literally suck the scales right off. I know I have seen it happen to a 50 dollar ranchu. Let the green grow its great for your aquarium anyway. If your goldfish are dieing start with checking ammonia, nitrite and Ph to see if there is anything wrong. Ammonia and nitrite should be ZERO, go a little further and check nitrAte. If you have cycled your tank then nitrate should register (like 20 ppm). If you have any ammonia or nitrite and no nitrate then you simply have not let the tank cycle. Here's what you do. Leave your filter alone and change water until ammonia and nitrite get below .50 ppm. Then check your nitrate and see if any is present. When ammonia and nitrite levels fall to zero and you have nitrate in your tank it is cycled. The gunk build up in the filter is the nitrifying bacteria. Clean it out about once a month or when it gets so clogged out put is reduced. Wash the bio media in tank water and replace carbon once a month. If you use zeolite make sure you are not usuing salt and replace it every three weeks until ammonia is gone. Then don't replace it at all, its not needed once the tank has cycled, and it can make things real bad if not used correctly.
Sick fish 95% of the time mean bad water. Learn to take care of the water and the fish will take care of themselves. Get a book on fish keeping and it will help you. Don't put that medication in the tank no matter what that high school kid at petsmart told you! Over medicating will kill the fish faster than most disease will!

Answer 2

That many goldfish should have 40 Gallons of water atleast I'd say. And what kind of Algae eater is it? If it is a pleco than it needs 50-70 gallons unless it is a bristle nose.

Answer 3

Goldfish will dirty up a tank at a rate much faster that tropical fish will. Doing 25%-30% water changes every 2-weeks will cut down on water problems. If using tap water, make sure it is treated to be safe before adding to your tank. Over feeding can also contribute to fish mortality. As for getting rid of your fish for new ones, that depends on how attached you are to the ones you have!

Answer 4

Well it depends what size your tank is. Every inch of Goldfish needs 2 gallons of water. So a full grown goldfish need about 12 gallons of water. If there is not enough water the ammonia they create will kill the fish.

Answer 5

they probably has a didsease, i would separate the algea eater from the fantail goldfish and see what happens